A VERY LARGE 'ROBIN'S EGG' ENAMELED AND GILT PORCELAIN FIGURE OF AMITAYUS, QIANLONG TO JIAQING PERIOD 乾隆至嘉慶時期爐鈞釉描金無量壽佛坐蓮像

Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價

China, 1736-1820. Heavily potted, seated in dhyanasana on a cloth draped over a rectangular plinth with a shaped recessed gilt panel above a dragon emerging from crashing waves. His hands are lowered in dhyana mudra and holding an alms bowl. He is wearing long flowing robes opening at the chest adorned with a beaded jeweled necklace. His serene face with heavy-lidded eyes, gently arched brows, a circular urna, and bow-shaped lips. His hair elegantly falling in tresses over the shoulders and piled up into a topknot surmounted by a jewel behind the foliate tiara. The cloth, base, robe, hair, and jewels enameled in robin's egg with details picked out in turquoise and blue. The face, torso, hands, feet, tiara, and dragon gilt.

Provenance: From an old German private collection, acquired in the 1970s and 80s. Thence by descent.
Condition: As expected, the tips of the tiara, topknot, fingers, earrings and dragon's horns are restored to perfection. Further with glaze recesses, flaking and abrasions. Microscopic remnants of pigment which indicate that the figure was painted at some stage. Gilt porcelain figures of such a large size are usually restored to a much wider extent, due to their fragility, and it is therefore exceedingly rare to find one in such a well-preserved state overall.

Weight: 5,156 g
Dimensions: Height 43.5 cm

Expert's note: Gilt porcelain figures of bodhisattva were produced from the Qianlong period onwards. The inspiration for such figures may have come from Ming dynasty bronze prototypes, such as the Xuande period gilt-bronze figure currently in the Berti Aschmann Foundation, Museum Rietberg, illustrated in On the Path to Enlightenment, Zurich, 1995, no. 72. An unmarked example, dated to the Xuande period, is in the V&A collection, no. 275&A-1898.

Literature comparison:
For a related example from the Malcolm MacDonald collection, no. DUROM.1969.358, and now in the Oriental Museum, University of Durham, United Kingdom, see Ireneus Legeza, A Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue of the Malcolm MacDonald Collection of Chinese Ceramics, London, 1972, p. 122, no. 72. Another enameled porcelain figure of a bodhisattva is illustrated by Lou Pin-heng, Precious Treasures of My Humble House, Taipei, 1988, pg. 54, no. 12

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 17 September 2013, lot 52
Price: USD 68,750 or approx. EUR 80,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An unusual enameled and gilt-decorated figure of a bodhisattva, Qing dynasty, 18th / 19th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related robin's egg enamels, gilt decoration, and face. Note the related size (40 cm). Note the different pose and base.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 29 May 2008, lot 578
Price: HKD 960,000 or approx. EUR 169,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare enameled figure of a kneeling bodhisattva, Qianlong
Expert remark: Compare the closely related robin's egg enamels, gilt decoration, and face. Note the much smaller size (29 cm) as well as the different pose and base.



乾隆至嘉慶時期爐鈞釉描金無量壽佛坐蓮像
中國，1736-1820年。此尊無量壽佛結跏趺坐穩坐於波濤之上，一條金龍從水中探出；雙手施禪定印，托缽；高螺發，面龐圓潤，耳大垂肩，額際寬廣，慈眉善目，表情溫和慈祥；頭戴五葉佛冠，項配瓔珞，更顯法相尊嚴。其面部及身體露膚處均施金釉，佛冠、瓔珞及綬帶等則以金釉和爐鈞釉搭配裝飾，瓔珞處採用爐鈞釉以仿松石、青金石的效果，絢爛多姿，富麗堂皇。

來源：德國私人舊藏，購於上世紀七十至八十年代，保存至今。
品相：頭飾、高髻、手指、耳環和龍角的尖端都已恢復。有釉面凹陷、剝落和擦傷。輕微的顏料殘留表明該造像曾經經過彩繪。如此巨型的鎏金瓷像，由於其易碎性，修復範圍通常要大得多，因此，整體保存如此好的造像極為罕見。

重量：5,156 克
尺寸：高43.5 厘米

專家注釋：清乾隆時期，在宮廷的要求下燒製了許多瓷質佛像，供奉於內府寺朝及佛事場所。爐鈞釉瓷塑佛像即始創於清乾隆時期，流行於清代中晚期。這些造像的靈感可能來自於明代青銅原型，例如現存的宣德時期的銅鎏金人物。可對比 Berti Aschmann Foundation，Museum Rietberg，見目錄On the Path to Enlightenment，蘇黎世，1995年，圖 72；一件無款造像，宣德時期，見 V&A collection，編號275&A-1898。

文獻比較：
一件相近的例子，曾藏於Malcolm MacDonald collection，編號DUROM.1969.358，現藏於Oriental Museum，University of Durham，英國，見Ireneus Legeza，《A Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue of the Malcolm MacDonald Collection of Chinese Ceramics》，倫敦，1972年，頁122，編號72。另一件琺瑯菩薩慈像， 見《Precious Treasures of My Humble House》，臺北，1988年，圖54，編號12。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2013年9月17日，lot 52
價格：USD 68,750（相當於今日EUR 80,000）
描述：清十八 / 十九世紀瓷胎金彩彩繪供養菩薩像
專家評論：比較非常相近的知更鳥蛋藍、鎏金裝飾和面部。請注意相近尺寸 (40 厘米)、不同姿勢和底座。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：香港邦瀚斯，2008年5月29日，lot 578
價格：HKD 960,000（相當於今日EUR 169,000）
描述：清乾隆彩釉描金供佛菩薩瓷像
專家評論：比較非常相近的知更鳥蛋藍、鎏金裝飾和面部。請注意尺寸 (29 厘米) 小很多，以及不同姿勢和底座。